Historic landscapes and mental health at Stonehenge

Session 8: The Avenue and King Barrow Ridge

We were the hiking hippies on the Stonehenge trail

Hello everyone back again by popular request and I will keep telling myself that. Well it was a another week where we had to walk and we all know how much I like a good walk…

But as with every week I give 100% or at least as much as I can, but this week the BBCwanted to film us. I would of love to have been strong enough to be filmed but paranoia, self-doubt, negative self-image all rose up like a choir and drowned out any logical thought.

But my personal philosophy is to find the light in the darkness, I am going to share with you my journey with the Human Henge project to King Barrow and that long assed walk and a day that ended doing something so normal it made the whole project a success for me.

On week one I met C who has happily picked me up each week and drove to the Human Henge and this week we where on time if not a little early.

After coffee we jumped on the bus and drove to King Barrow ridge. The king’s barrows are graves from 4000-3000BC. They are situated on a prominent ridge to the east of Stonehenge. They include several round burial mounds (barrows) built in the Early Bronze Age and a Neolithic long barrow.

Normally I would walk around the barrows due to my COPD but I didn’t this time I climbed to the top like everyone else. As we reached the top we could see below was a man playing what looked like a glockenspiel.

The sound filled the space and Yvette introduced her friend Alphonse from Cameroon playing the Balafon. We all gathered around to listen to Alphonse.

We joined hands and formed a circle and we moved “deosil” and “widdershins” we danced and sang, we spent time thinking of our history and our the history of the world and how each of us are connected to each other while the BBC watched on taking a few shots.

Then we walk the processional way AKA the Avenue. We started off from the King’s Barrow across the field towards the Avenue. The horizon was obscured due to the mist but as it cleared or as we got closer the stones became clearer.

As we walked up the Avenue towards the Heel stone you could taste the magic and mystery of the stones in the air. Every time I see Stonehenge my soul lifts a little and I feel recharged.

Once everyone had caught up we walked to the bus stop and caught the bus back to the education centre for coffee and wind down.

It had been a really good Friday on the way home the sun was shining and I mention that I really fancied a pint and C agreed. So off to the pub we went, for a quick pint and a few games of pool. Doing something so normal can be very difficult for me; but not only did I manage it I enjoyed myself. So looking forward to next week.

About:Alphonse Daudet Touna talks about his music heritage and Hélélé, the band he set up in Cameroon and then continued in Bristol, UK.

Authors Resource

About Author I have Borderline Personality Disorder and as a writer and poet I explore my madness through the creative arts. I have a personal belief that even in darkness light exists and it is a personal responsibility to always seek the light and I find the light in creating something.